How to get a family
by Ellaisintheair
Summary: A thief is up to mischief. Characters: Luke, Mara. Genre: fluff. Timeframe: after votf. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** How to get a family  
**Author:** Kinderriegel  
**Genre:** fluff, general  
**Characters:** Luke, Mara  
**Timeframe: **three years after votf  
**Summary:** A thief is up to mischief.  
**Flowers and sweets** go to jedyknyt1. Thank you for reading beta.

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How to get a family**

**Chapter 1**

At the break of dawn, Reeza made her way to the kitchen. For the first time in what seemed like ages she was not in a rush, so she took the time to pause for a moment and watch the spectacular sunrise that unfolded itself in front of her eyes. Few sunrays found a way through the thick roof of Yavin's rainforest, but the ones that did set the morning mist afire. Lost in thought she smiled to herself. Moments like these more than made up for the stresses and strains this planet had in store for everyone who chose to live on it. Already, she could anticipate an increasing humidity that would accompany her for the rest of the day.

Whistling to herself she went on. As she walked through the wide and empty corridors of the Jedi academy on Yavin IV, she reflected on the previous two weeks. In honour of the Jedi apprentices who had passed their final trials, a graduation ceremony had been held. For this purpose Yavin had hosted quite an amount of visiting family members and dignitaries from Coruscant. Not to speak of the supply ships that had docked and taken off again. The academy had been bustling as never before.

So, after the chaos had finally subsided again, Reeza was happy that things were beginning to go back to normal. Being the head cook, much had depended on her ability to organize and delegate. Therefore, she was more than happy to concentrate on more mundane tasks again, like decorating Kadeem's birthday cake. The little boy had just arrived at the academy and she hoped the gesture would help him over his homesickness. As soon as she arrived at the spacious kitchen she put on her apron and turned to where she had left the cake the evening before- or to where she thought she had left the cake.

"Hm, that's weird. I could have sworn I left it right here." Scratching her head in obvious confusion she looked at the empty table. "I'm sure I left it here. Where else could it be?" Puzzled she scanned the kitchen for the missing item. Everything was as neat as she had left it the night before and no cake was in sight. When she realised that, recently, incidents like this had amassed, she furrowed her brows. It just had never been this obvious before.

"Is everything alright, Reeza?" Out of nowhere a straw-coloured head had appeared in the doorway. Being confronted with the Jedi master the woman did not hold back her smile. He was probably the only person on the entire planet, who managed to get up even before her. In response to his question an exasperated sigh left her throat.

"Master Skywalker", she flung her hands in the air, "it seems my kitchen is bewitched. Whenever I turn around or leave the room things vanish. Because of all the commotion about the celebration I didn't register it right away, but for two weeks things keep disappearing." With a frown on his forehead the Jedi master made his way into the kitchen. He had been passing by the open door when he had heard the cook's exclamation.

"Things vanished?" he made sure he had understood correctly.

"Well, food vanished, to be more precise. Not a lot or I would have realised it sooner. It's an apple here, a loaf of bread there. The chocolate cake I baked for Kadeem's birthday has been the latest victim. I think we have a thief."

"A thief?" Luke started to feel like a parrot. Reeza was one of the most reliable persons he knew, so he trusted her blindly. If she said there was a thief, then there was a thief. "But that doesn't make any sense. The students get more than enough food here," he tried to reason, "why would they try to steal food when they know they have but to ask for it?" The cook only shrugged her shoulders and gave Luke an impish grin.

"You're the Jedi, you tell me. Maybe one of the kids got himself a pet?"

"And feeds it with chocolate cake, eh?" Suddenly Luke couldn't refrain from laughing, "that would be one happy animal. Thanks for telling me Reeza, I'm gonna look into the matter and keep you updated."

"Thank you." Smiling, the woman watched how the Jedi master left the room. Since his wedding three years ago, his laugh had become even more contagious. She shook her head. Luke's smile didn't save her from baking another cake now. She promised herself to give the mysterious thief an ample wigging. Stealing apples and bread was one thing. Stealing a birthday cake was another matter entirely.

* * *

Meanwhile, Luke tried to figure out the answer to the riddle the vanishing food posed. He had to admit that Reeza's suggestion was not that far fetched at all. Most likely a student had indeed caught himself a forbidden animal he now had to feed. Yet, something told him that the solution to the problem lay somewhere else entirely. He wondered whether the 'thefts' were somehow linked to the celebrations that had been held, but no matter how he looked at the problem he was not able to draw any conclusions.

When he stepped outside he enjoyed the tranquillity of the early morning. Only the birds were up and about. Even though the ceremony had been an outstanding success, he was glad life at the academy had calmed down again. Even now he couldn't remember how many hands of foreign dignitaries he had shaken these past few days.

While inhaling the fresh morning air he thought of his absent wife, who had left the planet on a trading run, two months earlier. Even though he should have gotten used to her extended absences by now he missed her terribly every time she was gone and hoped she would return, soon.

'_Ah Mara!' _He felt like a lovesick teenager again. The remains of a red sunrise were all it took to remind him of her unique hair. He was longing for her touch, her laugh and her humour. He couldn't wait for her to be back in his arms. Sighing, Luke looked at his chrono. Since he was running late for a lesson, the thief as well as the musings on his wife would have to wait for a while.

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Suppressing a yawn, Luke made his way back to his and his wife's quarters. It was late. Detailed talks with Kam and Tionne about the future of the academy had kept him from retiring earlier. Due to the advanced hour and the fact that their rooms lay away from the dorms his students occupied, most of the corridors he had to pass through were already deserted.

All of a sudden his danger sense flared and only a fraction of a second later a loud impact could be heard. Alarmed by the panic he perceived through the force, Luke ran to where the sound had come from. He wasn't able to detect any malice, so he blew caution to the wind and hurried down the corridor. Not knowing what to expect he came to a halt in front of a small storeroom. He was definitely not prepared for the scene that met him after he had torn open the door and switched on the lights.

A little girl kneeled in the middle of the biggest chaos he had ever seen and blinked at him in something akin to fear. The corners of her mouth were covered with what looked suspiciously like chocolate icing. Around her various broomsticks and buckets lay scattered across the floor. Several shelves, along with their contents had crashed to the floor, adding to the disarray. She could count herself lucky nothing had hit her.

"Look, you don't have to tell the guy who runs this place about any of this, okay? I can clean this mess up and even share my cake with you." the girl hurried to assure, while she jumped to her feet.

The _guy who ran the place_ was taken aback for a moment. Nothing like this had ever occurred to him before. He had a closer look at the girl. She didn't look older than six years but he couldn't help from noticing that she was awfully thin. Her shoulder-length hair was red gold, much like Mara's. It was in total disarray and looked like it hadn't seen a comb in quite a while. Countless freckles and slight jug ears gave her a pert look. Luke asked her the first question that came to his mind.

"Who are you?" He was fairly sure the girl did not attend the academy. He made it a point to know all off his students personally. However, and that was the most confusing thing about this, he could detect a raw ability to use the force within the child.

"My name is Baylee and who are you?"

"Well, I'm Luke." Confronted with so much freshness, Luke couldn't help but smile.

"Okay Luke, do we have a deal? You don't tell your boss about this and I share my cake with you." In order to stress her offer, she pointed at a half eaten chocolate cake. He could tell she meant business. Her hands were resolutely placed on her hips, daring him to object. He decided to play along for a little while.

"A deal? Why are you in a store room and where are your parents?" The girl's determined stance faltered for a second. She gave him a look as if the answers to his questions were rather obvious.

"I live here, of course, and I haven't seen my parents since they sent me away."

"Sent you away?" To say Luke was shocked by what he had learned would be an understatement. The more the girl revealed the more confused he became. She lived in a storeroom in his academy? Her parents sent her away? How did she come to Yavin at all? Bringing himself to eye level with Baylee, he kneeled down and gave her a warm smile. Well, first things first. In this case it meant getting her out of the storeroom and feeding her a substantial dinner.

"You know what? I have a much better idea. Why don't you come with me to my quarters? It's much nicer there, than in this storeroom." Baylee didn't look convinced. Early in life she had learned that trust was a luxury she would never own.

"I rather like it here, thank you very much, Mr. Luke."

The Jedi realised he had to bait her with different things. "You know, I have food at my place- a lot of food." He added after he had seen her hopeful gaze. "You can trust me." Making sure she got the message, he sent a tiny force nudge along with his words. Still, the child stayed reluctant.

"I don't know, Mr. Luke. I've had the cake and I'm not sure I'm still hungry. I think I'm sick." Suddenly the Jedi could detect a rising panic within the girl. He chastised himself for not being more considerate. The kid had eaten half a cake on an empty stomach; of course she was not feeling well. Just in time he grabbed one of the buckets and put it in front of her. Promptly, she threw up. While he held back her hair with one hand, he used the other to soothingly caress her back.

"There you go, Baylee. You're going to feel much better once it's all out." When she was done, he picked her up. All of a sudden he saw himself face to face with eyes as blue as Yavin's sky.

"Feeling better?"

"Hm." Worn out she embraced Luke and rested her head on his strong shoulder.

"Ready to come with me?"

"Hm."

Luke laughed softly. "I'll take that as a yes."

He was almost out of the door when she addressed him one more time.

"Mr. Luke?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry about the shelves. I tried to climb up in order to get a blanket from the upper rack and then it broke." The Jedi patted her back.

"Don't worry about it. Nothing we can't fix."

* * *

With some amusement, Luke watched Baylee growing more and more anxious as the tub filled with water.

"Are you sure I have to take a bath, Luke? I had one last month." She pouted. Ever since they had reached his quarters the girl had been too excided to find any rest. So the Jedi had seized the opportunity to get in a bath. Obviously, Baylee did not share Luke's enthusiasm about the wet affair.

"I'm afraid that one bath a month is not enough. But hey, we can make the best bubble bath in the entire galaxy." That said, Luke added a generous amount of bath oil.

"There you go. You hop in, while I prepare a dinner for you, all right? I'll leave the door open, so you can call if you need help." With that he left Baylee to herself.

While Luke prepared a light soup, he pondered his new charge. Who was she and how did she come to Yavin? He hoped Baylee would be able to shed some light on her situation. She seemed to be rather talkative and sassy. The Jedi master couldn't refrain from reflecting on the protective feelings the girl had evoked in him. Even though he could tell life had not been easy on her, he was amazed by the trust she showed. He vowed not to let her down. He sighed sadly. He would love to feel the weight of a child- his child- in his arms more often, but considering Mara and his' lifestyle that would not happen too soon.

Suddenly he remembered the dirty shreds Baylee was wearing. She couldn't possibly put them on again. He looked at his chrono. It was too late to wake Kam and Tionne, but maybe one of Mara's old shirts would do the job. Putting the soup off the stove he went into their sleeping room in order to retrieve the item.

He hadn't heard anything from Baylee in quite a while, so he knocked on the door to the bathroom.

"Baylee, can I come in for a second?"

"Yes, come and look at me." When he entered Luke couldn't refrain from laughing out loud. For someone who didn't like baths Baylee sure had a lot of fun. The tub was foaming over and the girl had covered her face with the bubbles, while her hair was made into a Mohawk.

"Having fun, eh?"

"Yeeees, the bubbles are fun." Luke grabbed a large towel and held it out in front of the girl. That way he could wrap her up without her feeling too exposed. After he had slipped Mara's shirt over her head it pooled around her feet. He picked her up again and carried her over in the living room. Standing on a chair she let Luke untangle the innumerable knots in her hair. Again, she managed to catch the Jedi master off guard.

"Luke, do you need a daughter?"

"A daughter?" The Jedi paused mid-stroke just to be faced by two hopeful looking eyes.

"You see, I'm kind of looking for a new family and I thought that maybe, since you've been so nice to me, you need a new daughter." Luke's eyes softened immediately. He put the brush down, picked up the girl once more and sat down on the sofa. Baylee made herself comfortable on his lap. Luke let a gentle finger glide through the half combed hair and looked at her apologetically.

"I'm so sorry Baylee, I'm afraid that's not possible." The girl looked crestfallen.

"It's the hair, isn't it?" she asked matter-of-factly. Yet again the Jedi master didn't know what to make of this.

"The hair?" he asked cautiously.

"It's always the hair, the hair and the ears. Mom always said she had wished for a pretty daughter, with blond hair, like hers. She said she didn't have enough money to spend it on an ugly daughter nobody would ever want to marry. She said not even the slave traders wanted me and later, at the orphanage, nobody wanted me either. They want boys or pretty girls, so I ran away."

"Oh Baylee." Luke was at a total loss as to what to say. Instead, he embraced her tightly. How could any mother possibly say such horrible things to her own child? He could feel how he began to foam with rage against the unknown woman.

"Baylee!" He put a finger beneath her chin and made her look at him. "That's not true at all. You're so kind and sweet and very beautiful. And I tell you something: you and my wife have the same hair colour." From the nearby table he grabbed a holoframe, which showed Mara and him in a loving embrace. "See? This is Mara and I love her very much." She intently looked at the holo.

"She is pretty." She had to admit.

"Baylee, where is your father?" He didn't want to open old wounds, but he felt like it was time he got some facts.

"He died long ago, before I was born. Mum never talked about him." She answered sadly.

"And what happened to your mother?" All the while Luke gave her some comfort by caressing her back. Baylee shrugged her shoulders. While telling her tale, tears started to gather in her eyes.

"One day, my mom took me for a ride in her speeder. I had to go to the bathroom, so we stopped at a roadhouse. When I was done my mom was gone. I waited and waited but when they closed the roadhouse for the night the owner chased me away. I lived on the streets for a while until people caught me and brought me to an orphanage. Nobody wanted me there, either, so I ran away again. Nadia, a girl at the orphanage, said that on a planet called Coruscant there lived so many people that they would even take ugly girls like me. She had seen it in a Holovid. So I made my way to the spaceport. When I heard an old pilot say he was going to Coruscant I sneaked in his cargo hold and stayed in there until he landed again."

"And that's how you ended up here?" The girl nodded.

"I sneaked out again before he saw me. I thought I was on Coruscant, so I went into the big building and hid. I wanted to check out the situation, first. Is this Coruscant?"

"I'm afraid not. This is Yavin. Your pilot probably stopped here in order to deliver some cargo on his way to Coruscant." So that's how she had come to the academy. He had to admit she was one smart girl. Among the commotion of the many visitors her arrival had been completely lost. "Do you know the name of your home planet?" From her story he had gathered enough information to have a good guess.

"It's called Kabili."

That's what he had feared. Kabili was a small planet that was located in the outer rim territory. Not that far away from Tattoine. Its occupants had always had a more than doubtable view on women. They were second class citizens at best- in some areas they were even considered property of men. The fact that the planet was hopelessly overpopulated and very poor didn't help the women's situation. In a vain attempt to control the growth of population, the government had issued a law whereby women were not allowed to have more than one child, years ago. This law lead to billions of abortions of female fetuses and millions of abandoned children. Officially forbidden, the slave trade with the unwanted children was booming. Luke was thankful that at least Baylee had been spared. He drew her into another hug and kissed her on the top of her head. Within his embrace, the girl relaxed.

"I'm so sorry about what happened to you, Baylee. I promise you I'll do everything to find a great family for you."

"But I want you." Faced with so much determination, Luke had to smile.

"Baylee, I wish I could take you in, but it's impossible. My wife and I both have dangerous jobs that keep us apart very often these days. You need parents who will be able to be there for you every minute of the day. That's what you deserve." Baylee seemed to have her own ideas about what she needed, but she sensed Luke's determinedness and decided to let the matter rest- for the moment

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After Luke had enjoyed watching Baylee devour her soup, he decided it was time for her to go to bed. The apartment had one spare bedroom he had readied for her. The girl however seemed to be reluctant to touch the bed sheets. She took Luke's hand instead.

"Are you sure it's okay if I stay here? Your boss won't like this. Maybe I should go back to the storeroom. I don't want you to get in trouble." Laughing, Luke picked her up, lifted up the covers and laid his charge on the bed.

"I'm pretty sure he's okay with this."

"How do you know?" Sitting down on the bed, he covered her with the blankets. He gave her one of his warmest smiles.

"Because I am the boss here and I promise you, that you won't have to sleep in a storeroom, ever again."

"You're the big boss?" She gave him an enthusiastic bear hug. "You know, this is just like in the holovids."

"Holovids?"

"Well yes, Nadia told me all about it. All the time, they show happy families and daddies who bring their daughters to bed." Witnessing Baylee's radiant smile and shining eyes, Luke's heart broke. All, this girl knew about a healthy family life, she had learned second hand. Again, he ran his fingers through hair that looked so much like Mara's

"Baylee…" he warned.

"I know, I know, you don't have the time for a child" she hurried to assure. "But I'm just pretending, just tonight, alright?" Luke knew he shouldn't do this, but her gaze was so pleading that he didn't have the heart to forbid it.

"Alright, what would a dad in a holovid do now?"

"Well, read me a story, of course."

"I see, wait here for a second." Luke headed to his own bedroom. Somewhere in the depths of his wardrobe there was an old box that contained several of the twins' and Anakin's favourite bed time tales. In the meantime they had grown too old for the stories, but hopefully Baylee would still enjoy them. When he returned the girl came up with more orders.

"Now you have to sit right here." she padded the space next to her and waited until Luke had made himself comfortable. Then, she put his arm around her shoulders and snuggled up to him. "Now you can read." The Jedi couldn't refrain from thinking how right it felt to have a child in his arms, again. His niece and nephews had long since outgrown the age in which they let themselves be cuddled and Mara and he had decided not to have a baby until she got her job sorted out.

"Are you all set? Here we go. A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away, there was an old pirate…"

* * *

Still awfully tired, Baylee opened her eyes. For the first time in her life she had an idea about what it meant to have a caring family. In Luke's arms she felt protected. She looked at the sleeping Jedi master. The data pad, that contained the story he had read to her earlier, still lay on his chest. Yawning wildly, she grabbed part of the sheet and put it over her newfound friend.

"Sleep well, Luke." Before she went back to sleep she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek

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_I'd love to hear your opinion on this (: _

_I know it's not much, but this is my first star wars fic, so I'm trying to keep it simple._

_At the moment university is keeping me busy. But I'll continue this as soon as possible. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars and I don't earn any money with this.

**Flowers and sweets go to jedyknyt1. Thank you for reading beta "hugs"**

**A/N: **Wow, thank you so much for the many reviews. I appreciate you taking the time to write feedback. "hugs everyone" I have answered every review through the reply function ffnet offers. I've never tried that before, so I hope it worked. In addition I want to thank "Lady" and "Hawaiian Poshi". You made my day

So here is chapter 2. I hope you have fun reading it

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_**What has happened so far?**_

_While Luke Skywalker's wife Mara is on a trading run for Talon Karrde, he makes a surprising discovery: in one of the storerooms of his academy he finds a little girl, who has lived in it for two weeks. The name of the girl is Baylee. She is about six years old and has been abandoned by her mother. Baylee comes from an outer rim planet called Kalibi. Its culture is very patriarchal and women are considered the property of men. _

_Looking for a new family Baylee escaped the children's home she used to live in. She sneaked on board space freighter, which brought her to Yavin._

Baylee takes to Luke right away and has soon decided that he is to become her new father. The Jedi, however, is of the opinion that Baylee is in dire need of a family, who leads a "normal" life.

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**Chapter 2**

With a wide smile on his face, Luke watched Baylee wolfing down her breakfast. It was the morning after he had discovered her in a storeroom. Now, that all the dirt was washed out of her hair, he was amazed to discover she sported a nest of countless red gold curls. In addition, he was happy to see the girl's cheeks had adopted a healthy flush. This circumstance, however, didn't belie the fact that she was way too thin for a girl her age.

"So Luke, what do you do for a living?" She asked after she had gulped down a glass of milk. Once more the Jedi Master was caught off guard. This didn't seem to be a question an ordinary six year old would pose. Nevertheless he answered her.

"Well, I'm a Jedi knight." Most children Luke had made an acquaintance with so far had been rather impressed once they had learned about his occupation. Baylee, however, did not seem to be too enthusiastic about this revelation.

"A Jedi knight?" she asked sceptically. "I can't imagine that being a Jedi knight pays very well." Faced with so much practicality Luke had a hard time suppressing a grin. Her attitude kind of reminded him of his wife's.

"Well, you don't earn a lot of money, but you gain so much more by helping people in need and making the galaxy a better place." Having Baylee's force abilities in mind, he wanted to make sure she understood what it meant to be a Jedi. The frown on the girl's temple indicated that she did her best to process this new information. Eventually she shook her head.

"That's not a job I'd like to have. Nadia says people in need don't pay well. Do you wanna know what I'm gonna be once I'm grown up?" Her flashing eyes spoke of her excitement.

"Tell me."

"A smuggler, of course. That's how you make tons of money. You have your own ship, you can go places and nobody tells you what to do. You should think about it, Luke. It's way better than being a Jedi knight." Luke made a mental note not to bring her around Han anytime soon. He would spoil the girl to no end. Here he was, thinking he could win Baylee over to the cause of the Jedi, while she tried to convince him to change his profession. He laughed heartily and couldn't resist ruffling her hair.

"I think I like being a Jedi, thank you very much."

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"Now what?" Baylee was holding Luke's hand, while they walked down the long corridors of the Jedi Temple. Some of them she remembered from the time she had spent in the store room. Driven by hunger and thirst, she had been forced to make the journey to the kitchen every other day. It was a small miracle that nobody had discovered her earlier.

"We'll get you some clothes now and afterwards I'll have you checked by a doctor." The girl was still wearing Mara's shirt. Since Luke didn't have any shoes her size either, he had convinced her to slip into a pair of his socks. With her head of curly hair and the oversized clothing she bore a huge resemblance to a shrunken racoon.

"A doctor?" Baylee didn't look too thrilled by that revelation. "But I'm not sick!" Luke only raised an eyebrow.

"What about last night?" He scooped her up in his arms, so that she was able to look into his eyes. "You went through a tough time, so I just wanna make sure you're healthy."

"Because healthy children bring more money?" Her comment made Luke stop dead in his tracks. How was it possible that such a young child was so disillusioned with the galaxy? When he recalled the story she had told him the night before he felt a sudden sadness creep upon him. Her worth had always been determined by the profit she would bring her custodians. Baylee's own mother had abandoned her because she wasn't able to sell her daughter off to pirates, for crying out loud. It was no wonder the girl thought in different terms than him. Nobody had ever really cared about her; nobody had ever really taken her the way she was; nobody had ever really loved her without conditions attached. Well, it was high time to change that. He gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Baylee! I won't sell you. Nobody should have the right to sell a person. I wanna make sure you're healthy because I care about you- a lot."

"But you don't care enough to adopt me?" She underlined her question with the most hopeful expression she could manage.

"Baylee, we've talked about this, haven't we? I'll find you a nice family that'll love you more than anything. I promise." Luke wasn't unaffected by her pleading look, of course, but he knew she asked the impossible of him. Mara and he were in no way ready to take on a child. With Mara gone more often than not and him being on call for whenever the galaxy needed him, they would never have enough time for Baylee. And after all she had been through, time was a luxury the girl needed more than anything.

"I know. I know, you're too busy." Even though she was visibly annoyed, Baylee managed to keep her spirits up. She had a feeling the Jedi would give in to her pleading eventually. So she simply returned his gesture by placing a quick kiss on his cheek.

"I like you anyway, Luke." He laughed heartily as he tried to deny how right it felt to have her in his arms.

"I'm glad you do." Meanwhile, they had arrived at Reeza's Kingdom: the kitchen. As soon as the elderly woman had discovered the newcomers, she greeted them enthusiastically.

"Who have we here?" she asked with a warm smile on her face. She had a soft spot for every child, no matter the species, and she could tell that this one needed a lot of care. Intimidated by the first face Baylee saw since her discovery, she buried her face in the crock of Luke's neck. Unconsciously the Jedi reassured her by rubbing her back.

"I think I caught our thief, Reeza. May I introduce Baylee to you?" Luke said with a wink. Even though the cook didn't know what was going on, she smiled warmly.

"So that was you." When the expected outburst didn't come, Baylee warily lifted up her head. The woman's eyes were chocolate brown and held a caring expression. After a moment of silent contemplation, the girl decided she liked her.

"I'm sorry I stole your cake, Ms. Reeza," she apologized meekly. Padding Baylee's back, the women only laughed. After throwing a scrutinizing glance at the girl's thin frame, the cook came to the conclusion that Baylee had probably needed the food more than anyone else. Almost instantly she felt the urge to feed the girl a hearty meal, so that she would gain a healthy weight again.

"Don't worry about it, magpie." Balyee giggled, when she heard the nickname Reeza had given her. "What can I do for the two of you?" the cook asked finally.

"Tionne has taken her class out into the jungle today, so I wondered whether you would be able to help me find some clothes for Baylee instead." The women seemed to think about it for a second.

"Of course, Master Skywalker. Some of Sahira's clothes should fit her just fine. I'll go and get them right away."

"Thank you so much. I'll have her examined by Cilghal. Would you be so kind and bring the clothes to her office, please?" Luke gave her one of his most winning smiles.

"Sure, I'll meet you there." After Reeza had left the room, Luke turned his attention back to his charge. "Are you ready to fly to the doctor, Magpie?"

"Fly?" she giggled. "You're rather silly, Luke." He laughed.

"Well, then what's this?" That said he put her on his shoulders, so that he only held on to her legs. When he started to run she gave a delighted yelp. High-spirited she spread her arms and pretended to be a bird.

"You were right Luke, I can fly." Their loud laughing echoed through the hallway.

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Even though the sun hadn't even risen yet, Baylee was already awake and about. Curiously, she scrutinized her new home. The girl was pretty sure that, sooner or later, she would have Luke were she wanted him. Already his resolve was crumbling. She could tell he didn't care about her odd looks and he even seemed to like her red hair. The only person who posed a threat to her newfound happiness now was that wife of his. Baylee had a closer look at the holos, which were placed all over the living room. The girl had to admit that, in spite of her red hair, Mara looked very beautiful. She was a bit smaller than Luke, but her determined stance gave her a disarming presence that was hard to overlook.

Baylee didn't quite understand why Luke allowed his wife to be away for such a long time. At home, on Kabili, females weren't supposed to go anywhere without their husbands. Women who were not married lived a hard life that was full of shame. Her mother had often badmouthed her father for dying so soon and leaving her at the mercy of his family. As if it had been her father's fault that his boss made him drive an overloaded vehicle that lost its balance and collided with a speeder. She sighed. Be that as it may, Baylee had a feeling that Mara would be harder to crack than her husband.

All of a sudden her examination was interrupted by a constant beeping. Looking for the source of the strange noise, her eyes fell upon an impatiently blinking button on Luke's comm station. Curiously, she made her way over to the unit. A text was written on a small display, but since Baylee had never learned how to read she had no way of finding out what it said. Somehow she knew she wasn't supposed to press blinking buttons, so she hesitated for a second. Finally, however, the girl's curiosity got the better of her.

The moment she had done the deed, a life-sized woman began to materialize in front of her; a very familiar looking woman at that.

"Hey, I know you. Aren't you Luke's lady?" She looked exactly like the person on the pictures. Her long hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and her slim body was covered with a black leather suit. At Baylee's bold exclamation she only raised an eyebrow.

"And you are?" Even though she had no idea about what was going on, the corners of Mara's lips showed the slightest hint of an amused smirk. The girl looked awfully thin, but that didn't seem to have the slightest effect on her sassiness. Mara couldn't refrain from comparing her to a shrunken racoon. A nudge of the force told her that her beloved husband was in deep trouble.

"I'm Baylee," she stated matter of factly.

"So Baylee," with that Mara leaned forward expectantly. "What are you doing in my living room and why are you wearing my shirt?"

"Wow, you are very pretty. Are you in a real space ship right now? Luke said you were. Is it yours? Can you fly it?" The child totally ignored Mara's question and, instead, decided to pose a couple of her own. Her eyes began to adopt an excited shimmer.

"Thank you, yes, no and yes. Now would you please be so kind as to answer _my_ question?"

"You can fly a real space ship, even though you're a woman?" Baylee's strange comment took Mara aback for a moment.

"Of course I can fly my own space ship. What does it have to do with my being a woman?" Mara began to get a bit impatient with this conversation that didn't seem to lead to any results. "Where is Luke? Could you call him, please?" The mentioning of Luke's name, however, only led to more counter questions. Seemingly deep in thought, Baylee furrowed her brow.

"Luke talks about you all the time. I think he misses you. Do you miss him, too? I think you should come home and give him a hug. He gives good hugs, you know?"

"I…" For the first time in what felt like ages, Mara was truly speechless. Somehow this entire conversation seemed very surreal. Maybe she was stuck in a weird vision? What did this girl know about Luke's feelings for her and why did she know that Luke was a good hugger? She wondered what kind of trouble her husband had manoeuvred himself into this time. This girl definitely had trouble written all over her freckled face. Mara was spared an answer, since, all of a sudden, she could hear Luke in the background.

"Baylee, to whom are you talking?" he yawned, tiredly. He had just woken up, so his blond hair was in total disarray. When her bedraggled husband came into view, Mara couldn't refrain from smiling tenderly. Once he saw the holo of his wife an equally loving smile crept upon his face.

"Mara!" His voice was heavy with longing.

"Luke!" For a long moment they were lost in each others eyes. In Luke's opinion he hadn't seen nearly enough of her during their short marriage. How he wished he would be able to take her in her arms and just hold her. In the end it was Baylee who interrupted the silent conversation.

"Hello, are you guys still alive?" Only reluctantly did he detach his eyes from his wife's green pools and turn his attention to Baylee.

"Hey, why don't you go back to bed for a while? I'll make you a big breakfast afterwards." The girl seemed to sense that Luke and Mara needed some privacy, so she did as she had been told right away.

"Good night, Ms. Mara. Remember what I told you." With that she blew her a kiss and ran back to her own room. Once she was gone, Mara felt the urge to raise her eyebrow once more. Expecting some answers, she looked at Luke.

"Sooo, husband mine, what's new?" she inquired very sweetly, much too sweetly for Luke's ease of mind. So he countered with one of his most innocent smiles.

"Well, you have met Baylee, I figure?"

"That I have and now I'm wondering why she is wearing one of my shirts." The Jedi wasn't sure where to start, so he told her Baylee's story right from the beginning. After he had finished, Mara was in deep contemplation for a while.

"The poor girl; Kabili of all planets. Well, that surely explains a lot." She was thinking about the girl's comment considering her ability to fly a spaceship. Meanwhile Luke had sat down on the nearby couch. Wearily he propped up his head in his hands.

"It's horrible, Mara. She thought I'd sell her off. She needs a family- as soon as possible. And she is force sensitive. How do I find a family, who will be able to deal with her needs?" He looked at her with an expression that was almost pleading. Mara sensed that this issue troubled her husband more than it should. Of course she felt for the little girl, too. She even admired the strength that little racoon still possessed after all she had been through. In both of their lives, however, they had seen and experienced more suffering than any human being should have, so the fate of one little girl oughtn't affect him thusly. Then again, this was Luke, whose compassionate personality made him the wonderful man he was.

Moreover Mara was almost sure she had detected a hint of longing in his voice: a longing for a child of his own? Whenever they had discussed the possibility of a baby in the past, they had come to the conclusion that it would be irresponsible to expose a child to their unusual, often dangerous lifestyle. They weren't getting any younger, though and, these days, she caught herself daydreaming about a family more often too. But sooner or later the voice of reason always came back.

"Luke", her voice had softened considerably. "We can't take her in." He sighed and gave her a small smile.

"I know. I guess I'm just a bit overly emotional right. I know there's no way to take her in. She needs parents who have a lot of time. She is pretty extroverted," he grinned

"I have noticed," Mara laughed. "Did Cilghal examine her?"

"Yes and apart from the fact that she's clearly undernourished, she is fine."

"That's good. Luke-"

"Hm?"

"That racoon is a smart one." The Jedi Master had to chuckle upon hearing the nickname his wife had given Baylee.

"So you've noticed the resemblance, too, eh?"

"Luke, I'm pretty sure she has her mind set on you. She's going to pull out all the stops in order to convince you to adopt her," she warned intently.

"I know, she has already tried, but I explained to her that it's impossible. She understands." Luke's sincere assurance made her almost laugh. All of a sudden she became overwhelmed by the love she felt for this man.

"You know, after all these years you can still be so naïve. That's what I love most about you, farmboy." Luke only smiled.

"I miss you, Mara."

"And I miss you. That's the reason why I persuaded Karrde into giving me some time off." She smiled brightly. As soon as the meaning of her words had fully sunk in, he jumped up.

"You're kidding," he exclaimed excitedly.

"In about two weeks I'll be home." Luke's smile could have rivalled the sun.

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_I'd be more than happy if you shared your opinion with me. Thank you. _

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	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:**

**I don't own Star Wars and I'm not earning any money with this.**

**In Kalibi, Baylee's homeworld, there's a law according to which women are only allowed to have one child. I realize there's a law similar to this in China. I don't know a lot about the situation in China or the effects this law has on Chinese society. So I'm not referring to this country in any way. All similarities are coincidental.**

**The saying "A woman without a man is like spit in the sand…" is not mine. It's the title of a children's book written by Klaus Kordon. It's called "Wie Spucke im Sand."**

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_**As usual, flowers and sweets go to jedyknyt1. Thank you for reading beta hugs**_

**_Thank you for the reviews. I'm so glad you have fun reading this story and I hope this chapter won't disappoint you._**

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**What has happened so far?**

While Luke Skywalker's wife Mara is on a trading run for Talon Karrde, he makes a surprising discovery: in one of the storerooms of his academy he finds a little girl, who has lived in it for two weeks. The name of the girl is Baylee. She is about six years old and has been abandoned by her mother. Baylee comes from an outer rim planet called Kalibi. Its culture is very patriarchal and women are considered the property of men.

Looking for a new family, Baylee escaped the children's home she used to live in. She sneaked on board a space freighter, which brought her to Yavin.

Baylee takes to Luke right away and has soon decided that he is to become her new father. The Jedi, however, is of the opinion that Baylee is in dire need of a family who leads a "normal" life.

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**Warnings: Foul language is used and Baylee turns to the Dark Side;)**

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**Chapter 3**

"I'm at my wit's end, sir. I don't know what to do anymore." Qwin'Qwara sighed exasperatedly. "She doesn't listen to me, she can't sit still for longer than a couple of minutes, she disturbs class and, worst of all, she animates others to do the same." Luke almost cringed under the look of reproach the young Twi'lek teacher was giving him. She was clearly of the opinion that he bore the sole responsibility for Baylee's uncooperative behaviour.

"Surely she isn't that bad?" The resolute woman only snorted.

"Not that bad? I'm aware of the fact that, until now, Baylee's life has been far from normal. I am, however, an elementary school teacher and not a psychologist. All I can tell you is that the girl has problems with authority. Until you find a family for her, you are the only constant in her life and, as such, it is in your responsibility to bring structure to her everyday life. It is fruitless to teach her as long as she is unable to stick to the simplest of rules."

"But wouldn't she attain some of this structure by attending school?" Luke countered.

"I admit you have a point there," she conceded. "Therefore, she may come again. However," at this point she waged her finger at the Jedi Master, "If she doesn't change her attitude within the next week, I will have to suspend her from class." He sighed.

"Thank you Qwin. I appreciate your efforts and I will talk to Baylee about her behaviour." The Twi'lek nodded in acknowledgement and turned her attention back to the papers she still had to correct. When Luke was about to leave the otherwise empty classroom the teacher called him back one more time.

"She's a smart one, Master Skywalker, but, at the moment, her past is holding her back. She is loved now. That's a situation she has never been in before, so I don't need any force abilities to foresee that she's going to test her limits with you. Baylee has come to a crucial point in her socialization process and that's why it's important that you stick to your own rules." She gave Luke an encouraging smile, which he answered with one of his own.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." With that he stepped out of the door.

"Oh Baylee, what am I supposed do with you?" he muttered to nobody in particular. The Jedi exhaled sharply. Nearly two weeks had passed since he'd found Baylee in a store room, so, a couple of days ago, he'd thought it a brilliant idea to send her to school. With the number of fully trained Jedi rising, the age of those who first entered the academy was getting continuously younger. Therefore it had been necessary to integrate a regular school into the academy. Nowadays almost fifty non force-sensitive teachers made sure all future Jedi between five and eighteen years old got a rudimentary education that wasn't inferior to the one they would have received on their various homeworlds.

Slowly but surely, the once so calm and serene Jedi academy had turned into a bustling city. Some of the staff who had come to Yavin had brought their families and many of them had founded one after they had arrived. Other facilities, like a small hospital for instance, had become indispensable. Very soon, they would have to think about a solution for the limited housing space.

For the moment, however, Luke's mind was occupied with another problem entirely. In his presence Baylee remained her cute self, but as soon as she set food in her classroom she turned into the worst nightmare of all teachers. He had never thought her capable of such behaviour for the life of him. At least this incident had proved once more that he was simply not meant to become Baylee's new father. Her entire demeanour was a cry for attention. Not only was she a pain in the neck for her teachers, she also didn't want to leave his side during the day.

He didn't mind her presence, on the contrary, but he always feared the moments he had to leave her with someone else in order to attend matters concerning the Academy. Whenever she looked at him through a haze of tears, he had a hard time denying her anything. He didn't want to envision her reaction once he would have to leave Yavin for a longer period of time.

Suddenly, one of Qwin's comments came back to mind. Did he really love the kid? He definitely cared about her. He would go to any lengths to find her the best family there was. And there was no arguing the fact that Baylee was too cute for her own good. But did all of this mean he loved her? At that moment he felt someone hugging his legs. When he looked down, he recognized Baylee, who met his gaze with those adorable eyes of hers. Suddenly he thought he knew the answer.

"Hello, Mr. Luke." She gave him a wide smile.

"Hello, Miss Baylee. Is school over?" He returned the grin and, for the moment, the unpleasant talk that was to take place later was forgotten.

"Ready to go home and have lunch, magpie?"

"Yeeees." That said she gripped his hand and pulled him into the direction of his quarters.

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"So, how was school today, Baylee?" Luke had decided to wait with the confrontation until Baylee had finished eating her lunch.

"Good.", she replied with a still full mouth. "You're the best cook ever, Luke. I didn't know men were able to cook." Luke had to concede that she had a talent for changing topics rather quickly. Today though, he had resolved not to be swayed.

"Good? No problems?" He gazed at her intently. Sensing what was about to come, Baylee averted her eyes and looked everywhere but at Luke.

"What problems, silly? Is Miss Mara gonna come home soon?" Confronted with the girl's evasive behaviour, the Jedi let out a calming breath.

"The problems your teacher told me about. She said you didn't listen to her, you couldn't sit still and you disturbed class," he listed patiently.

"That's not true." Baylee became visibly annoyed over Luke's accusations, but the man continued to corner the girl.

"So you're telling me your teacher lied?" Instead of answering the question she decided to rant at school in general and at her teacher in particular.

"I hate school. I told you I didn't want to go there. Everybody is stupid and Miss Qwara hates me." Luke only raised his eyebrows at Baylee's outburst. He had fought Sith Lords after all.

"Miss Qwara doesn't hate you. On the contrary, she's trying to help you," he tried to reassure her with a warm smile. Baylee, however, wasn't comforted that easily.

"No, she doesn't! She always makes me sit on a chair and think about what I've done." While she spoke the last words, Baylee did an exaggerated imitation of her teacher.

"And we only do stupid, boring stuff like singing and sitting in a circle. Singing is for babies. I won't go to that stupid school ever again. I told you I don't wanna become a stupid Jedi, I told you!" The longer she went on, the louder her voice became. In the end she was almost shouting at Luke. Meanwhile the _stupid Jedi_ did his best not to take Baylee's comment too personally.

"Baylee, the school you're attending is a _regular_ school in which you will learn how to read and write. These things are very important and, I'm afraid, you won't find a way around them. Moreover, I want you to cut back on your use of the word 'stupid'. It's not a nice thing to say and by using it, you hurt people. You hurt me when you said Jedi were stupid." Only his last comment seemed to have an effect on her since, all of a sudden, she became quiet. Luke breathed a sigh of relief.

"Will you promise me to be good in school now?" he asked hopefully.

"I – will – not – go – to - school - ever – again!" She had gotten up from her seat and was now bending towards Luke, so that their noses almost touched.

"Yes, you will!" the Jedi said in a tone of voice that could almost be described as dangerously calm.

"No, I will not!" In order to emphasize her point she slapped the table top with both hands. Luke couldn't believe it. Who was this demon and what had it done to his cute Baylee? Slowly but surely he got an idea of what Qwin had been talking about earlier. He didn't need the force to sense that there was more to her temper tantrum than just her unwillingness to attend school though. It was rather obvious that Baylee carried a lot of baggage on her frail shoulders and he caught himself thinking that he would do anything to take it off.

"You will!"

"I hate you, you big, fat, stupid Jedi!" These last words were yelled at Luke with all the force the little girl could muster. During her tantrum, Baylee had worked herself into such a state that now she started crying uncontrollably. "I'll move back into the store room and I'll leave this no good, stupid, planet with the first ship possible," she screeched in between heart-melting sobs. Luke's jaw dropped to the floor. He was absolutely clueless as to how to handle this situation. The air was pregnant with Baylee's anguish; it was almost tangible. Despite the hurtful words, he had the urge to take her in his arms and make it better. When he tried it, however, she trashed around wildly and once her small hand even hit his cheek. He felt like he was missing an essential piece of a puzzle. Why was Baylee so mad at him?

Meanwhile, the girl was on the verge of hyperventilating. Her breathing became so frenzied that Luke was afraid she would collapse. Abruptly, he grabbed Baylee's arms and forced her to come to a halt.

"Baylee, calm down," he said in a soothing voice. "Breathe." The girl, however, refused to keep still. Like wild torrents, her tears were running down her cheeks and with every passing minute her face became a deeper shade of red.

"Come on. What are you waiting for? Do it!" she yelled at him.

"Do what?" asked a bewildered Jedi. "What's the matter?"

"Do it already!"

"Do what? Baylee, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Beat me, you dumb idiot!" To say Luke was shocked would have been the understatement of the century. Speechless, he was unable to respond for a moment. All of a sudden, Qwin's words came back to him. The teacher had predicted the girl would test him. Was that it? Had she just tried to find out how far she was allowed to take it until he hit her?

"Beat you? Baylee, why would I do such a horrible thing?" he asked incredulously. The girl was a picture of misery now and sobbed heart-wrenchingly.

"Because everybody beats me."

"I… Oh Baylee…" Not bothered by the girl's punches anymore, he embraced Baylee with all the love he felt for her. It didn't take long until weariness made her cling to the Jedi. After a while, only pitiful hiccups gave away that she had not succumbed to sleep yet.

"Baylee," he whispered into her ear while he was rocking her soothingly. "I can't turn back time and undo everything that has been done to you. But I can make sure that nobody will ever beat you again. You are safe here, I promise. You could hide all my underwear in the freezer and I still would not hurt you." The idea of Luke's underwear being in a freezer drew a little chuckle from Baylee.

"Why would I want to put your underwear in the freezer, silly?" Relieved, Luke smiled at her.

"I don't know. My friend Wedge did it once."

"Your friend put your underwear in the freezer?" giggled Baylee. For the moment Luke had managed to take her thoughts off her painful past.

"Yes, he did. Wasn't that a mean thing to do? One morning when I wanted to dress, all of my underwear was gone. I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find it. A bit later I discovered it in the freezer."

"Was it frozen?" she asked with wide eyes.

"It was so frozen that it broke when I tried to take it out." Luke laughed heartily.

"Did you pay him back?" Luke answered Baylee's question with a smug smile on his face.

"I put ten alarm-cronos under his bed that went off in the middle of the night. He was so scared he fell out of his bed." At that Baylee laughed even harder.

"You and your friend are very silly, Luke."

"We are, aren't we?" he chuckled. All of a sudden, the Jedi became serious again. "Baylee, I offer you a deal."

"A deal?" The girl was still wary. In her six years of life, she had never had much reason to trust people. Abandoned by her mother, she had been brought to a shabby children's home. Diseases had spread easily through the hopelessly overcrowded place. Baylee had seen farms in which laying hens had lived under better circumstances. If at all, they had only gotten something to eat twice a day and that had been, more often than not, spoiled.

On an overpopulated planet like Kalibi, where women were only allowed to have one baby, every additional child was treated like unwanted garbage. Thanks to unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies, abortions were oftentimes cheaper than the expensive contraception shots. However, many of these surgeries were performed by greedy charlatans under unsafe conditions. Females who didn't have the money for an abortion had the choice between paying a horrendous penalty, going to jail, selling the child to slave traders or, in case that didn't work, abandoning it. On Kalibi children were, in the truest sense of the word, the garbage of society.

More so the girls. On Kalibi it was a popular saying that a woman without a man is just like spit in the sand: she dries out. When you were allowed to bring just one child into the world, having a girl meant the extinction of the family name. Since, according to the law, a woman had only limited rights of inheritance, her family's fortune would inevitably fall to her husband's clan. In order to prevent things like that from happening, father's to be were eager to determine their child's sex as long as there was still a chance to terminate the pregnancy. On no other world were there as many abortions of female fetuses as on Kalibi.

Therefore, it was no wonder that abandoned girls were scarcely ever lucky enough to get adopted. The prettiest were sold into slavery and brought off planet. When they were fortunate enough, they were bought by childless couples, who raised them as their own. More often than not, however, they ended up as pleasuring slaves in brothels.

With her bony body, her jug ears and red hair, Baylee met neither Kalibi's beauty ideal nor that of many other planets. Hence, she wouldn't have brought the slave traders much profit and, since she hadn't even been worth ten credits, she'd been treaded like scum. Her mother had beaten her; the staff at the orphanage had beaten her; other children had beaten her. Both on the street and in the children's home, gangs had terrorized those who were weaker than themselves. Early on, Baylee had learned that it was better to find out your limitations sooner than later. That way you knew the drill right from the beginning and didn't have to experience any bad surprises. Usually it didn't take long until one person or the other came forth in order to point out who the boss was.

That's exactly what she had tried to do with Luke. The days after he had found her in the storeroom had been pure bliss. For the first time in what seemed like ages she didn't have to go to bed hungry. Seldom before had she ever left the table with a full belly. Now she got three warm meals every single day. But Luke wasn't just about food. He stood for warmth. Being with him meant not freezing anymore. He had given her her own bed. And what a site it was. Not a rough pallet, but a sleeping place that was worthy of a princess. Baylee just knew there wasn't a softer mattress to be found in the entire galaxy. It had clean sheets on it that smelled just like Luke. There was a duvet, too, and not one night had passed during which she hadn't snuggled into it. Gone were the nights she had to spend on the floor or on doorsteps. Gone were the nights she had to spend shivering without ever being able to sleep.

At Luke's even the baths were warm! If at all, she had been used to icy showers. Here she was allowed to soak in the tub for as long as she wanted. And the bubbles! Nadia had always said bubbles were for Queens, not for mere mortals and now she had them as well.

He had also given her clothes. Nice, clean clothes, not worn shreds. Shoes! He had given her shoes without any holes. And they were fancy, too. She just knew with them on her feet she'd be able to run as far as the end of the world. But what amazed her most of all was the fact that nobody had tried to steal them from her yet. On the contrary, the girls in her class had even tried to befriend her.

All of these things, these riches, made her feel warm. The cosiest place in the entire galaxy, however, was in Luke's arms. Nowhere had she ever felt this safe, this wanted before. Luke's arms were her true haven. Everything seemed possible there. Snuggled up to his warm form, it was so easy to imagine him being her father. Sometimes the picture was so tangible that she almost forgot it was only wishful thinking.

For almost a week she had been in heaven. She couldn't imagine the afterlife being any better. Then, however, old doubts had surfaced. Slowly but surely they had started to influence her thinking. Nobody was so nice without a reason; nobody took an ugly stray in just like that and cared for her. Things like that only happened in fairy tails and Baylee had been through enough to know that the stories life wrote never had happy endings. All of a sudden, she found herself waiting for the day she had to wake up und find out that everything had just been a silly dream. She found herself waiting for the day that Luke would get tired of her or of being so nice. She was waiting for the day Luke would beat her.

She waited and waited, but the day didn't come, so she decided to help it a bit. After all, it was better to wake up sooner than later, because the longer you lingered, the harder reality would hit you once it caught up with you. Consequently, she brought out the worst in her. She acted like a pain in the neck in school, she clung to Luke every second, and whenever he tried to leave her with someone else she threw a fit. But still there were no beatings. Today, though, she had surely put him over the edge. She had called him a big, fat, stupid Jedi. That kind of behaviour just couldn't go unpunished.

However, Luke had surprised her once more by not beating her and making her laugh instead. He had taken her into the safety of his arms and, just like a knight, he had promised to protect her from any harm. Now, what deal was he talking about?

"I will make sure that nobody, absolutely nobody will ever beat you again. You will be safe here and you'll never have to go back to that horrible place again." He smiled warmly.

"And what do you want for it?" She asked cautiously.

"You promise me to be good in school. I want you to listen to your teachers, to be nice to your classmates and, most importantly, I want you to give your best in school because, Jedi or smugglers, all of us have to learn how to read and write. What do you say? Deal?" He looked at her expectantly. For a long moment she seemed to battle this doubtful voice that had taken residence in her mind, but finally she came to a decision.

"Deal." She shook his outstretched hand. She had decided to trust Luke.

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_I'd be more than happy to hear your opinion on this. The new chapter will be up in about three weeks, since I have to write some kind of term paper first. And Mara will definitely show up in that one. I can promise as much. _

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	4. Chapter 4

_I don't suppose anyone is still reading and I can totally understand that. I'm always quite annoyed when people don't finish their stories, shame on me. I promise I won't make any promises anymore;) _

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**Chapter 4**

"Is Miss Mara here yet?" Baylee asked for the hundredth time. At least it felt that way to Luke. The girl was holding his hand, but that fact didn't keep her from nervously jumping up and down. In joyful anticipation Luke waited for his wife to land on the small platform that was situated in front of the academy. Baylee's anticipation, however, was more of a dreadful nature.

"Do you think she's going to like me?" In search for reassurance she looked up at her newfound friend.

"Will she send me back to the store room? What if she doesn't like my hair? Or my ears? I know they're jugged. People don't like to have children with red hair and jug ears around. I know you're a Jedi, so you're supposed to like everybody, even me. But maybe Miss Mara doesn't want to look at an ugly child." Luke effectively disrupted Baylee's endless flow of words by scooping her up in his arms. Like so often when confronted with the girl's self-loathing speeches, the Jedi Master didn't know where to start.

"Of course Mara is going to like you, Baylee. I told you, you could live with us until I have found you a family, and haven't I kept all of my promises so far?" When the girl nodded, he continued.

"And for the record: I happen to like your jug ears and your red hair and you freckles. They make you look cute." He smiled at his little charge. Baylee only snorted.

"Yeah, whatever." Luke knew he would have to repeat himself over and over again. It would take a while for Baylee to forget what she had been told her entire life. Again his eyes scanned the sky.

'Just a few more minutes,' he told himself in a vain attempt to calm down. Since Mara had initiated the descent into Yavin's atmosphere two hours earlier, he was able to feel her presence through the force bond they shared as clear as if she stood right next to him. Slowly but surly it was driving him mad with anticipation. He smiled at his eagerness. She really was turning him into a lovesick teenager again.

Who could blame him, though? After not being able to feel her unique touch or to smell her infatuating scent for several months he couldn't wait to have her back in his arms again. Now, that she was so close, mere minutes seemed to turn into unmercifully long hours. When, all of a sudden, the force carried her laugh towards Luke it washed around him like soft ripples of water.

"My, my, aren't we a bit impatient, Master Skywalker?" He couldn't refrain from laughing heartily once the words she had sent him via the force had taken shape in his mind.

"Just a tad bit, love." He replied immediately. At this moment her ship came in view as it broke through the thick cloud cover. Because of the rapidly darkening sky Luke could only make out a faint silhouette. Its soft curves, however, gave away that the approaching shadow was indeed the Jade's Sabre.

"Look Mister Luke, there she is." Baylee called out.

When, at last, his wife's ship had touched the floor he put Baylee down, took her hand and together they approached the fire. Mara's sudden appearance on top of the landing ramp caused Baylee to hide behind Luke's legs while the Jedi's heartbeat began to race uncontrollably. Force, how he had missed his woman.

Normally, after such a long separation, he would have simply run up the ramp and enveloped her in a bear crushing hug. With Baylee glued to his legs, however, he was forced to wait for his wife at the bottom of the ramp. When finally she was within his reach, he grabbed her hips and drew her near, in order to give her a very thoroughly kissing. Doubtlessly, they would have stood like that for quite a while longer, if they hadn't been interrupted by a noise, which sounded a lot like someone throwing up.

"Yuck, that is disgusting, you guys." Unwillingly, Luke and Mara pulled apart. Yet, Mara couldn't refrain from smiling.

"And you must be the infamous Baylee." Mara crouched down, so she was able to look into the girl's eyes. Baylee's face was still hidden behind Luke's legs. "It's nice to finally meet you," Mara said in a soft voice.

"It's nice meeting you, too, Miss Mara." Cautiously her head appeared. Baylee hadn't decided yet how to approach the 'Wife-situation', as she had labelled her problem. She knew that, in spite of her ugly looks, Luke liked her and she was sure it would only be a matter of days to convince him that adopting her was a great idea. He was the easy one. Miss Mara, however, was another matter entirely. Baylee had never met a woman before, who was so independent and strong. She had her own ship and flew through the galaxy. Alone! She didn't know how to handle a woman like that. But somehow the girl knew the key to Luke adopting her was his wife, so, somehow, she had to win her over.

"Is that really your own ship?" Baylee dared to ask. One day she would also possess her own ship, she swore.

"Yes, Luke gave it to me as a present." Mara couldn't keep the pride out of her voice. After she had been forced to sacrifice the Jade's Fire on Nirauan she had been devastated. Her former ship had stood for her independence and freedom, while the Jade's Sabre was a symbol for her newfound happiness with Luke. Baylee was suitably impressed.

"Luke gives good presents."

"That he does. And hopefully mine aren't as bad either." With that she grabbed the bag she had brought with her and opened it. Mara pulled out a wrapped package, which she gave to Baylee. Awed, the girl took it.

"For me?" she asked, giving Mara a hopeful glance. The woman nodded.

"This is the most wonderful present ever." Clutching the parcel safely to herself, she left Luke's side and slung her arms around Mara's neck. Mara, not used to such affection coming from a stranger, awkwardly hugged the girl back.

"How do you know you'll like it?" Mara asked with a smile.

"Because it's my first present ever." Baylee beamed, reverently stroking the wrapping. "Mister Luke has already given me all sorts of stellar stuff, but this one is wrapped like the presents in the holos." Eager to open the parcel, Baylee spun around and run ahead to the temple. Hands intertwined, Mara and Luke followed at a slower pace.

* * *

"Woah baby, it's a T-65 X-wing starfighter model and it has a remote, so I can fly it. How awesome is that?" Mara and Luke couldn't refrain from smiling at Baylee's exclamation. As soon as she had reached their quarters, she had unpacked her present and obviously, she was quite pleased with Mara's choice. She said on the floor, inspecting it from all angels. "Miss Mara, how did you know I want to become a starfighter in case smuggling won't work out?"

"I got you that one because Luke has flown one just like that," Mara answered with a smile. Surprised, Baylee looked up from her present.

"Really?" Her tone of voice revealed a great amount of admiration.

"Woah Luke, you are way cooler than I thought. Starfighters are stellar," she claimed enthusiastically after Luke had nodded.

"Thanks Baylee," Luke laughed. On afterthought he added, "I guess."

"There was this really old smuggler back when I was living in the streets. His name was Tokka. He was always drunk, but one time, he told me about Rogue Squadron. They fly X-wings, too, you know? They are supposed to be the bestest pilots in the entire galaxy, like that Wretch Antilles. Have you heard of him?" Luke laughed, whereas Mara told herself to be careful or else she would be wrapped around Baylee's little finger without even noticing it. As if it wasn't enough that Luke had already succumbed to Baylee's charms. Seeing him interact with the child made her realize, that Luke was in for it.

"Do you remember that story I once told you? About my friend Wedge, who put my underwear in the freezer unit?" When Baylee nodded Luke continued, "Well, that was Wedge Antilles. We were both flying with Rogue Squadron." Carefully, she put the model down on the floor, in order to climb on Luke's lap. Once she was there, she didn't deem it necessary to be so careful anymore. Giddy with excitement, she jumped up and down on Luke's legs. Grabbing Luke's shoulders for support she asked, "Are you kidding me? Next you'll tell me you know the guy who blew up the big, evil death star." Laughing, Luke got up. He caught Baylee in his arms and brought her up to his face.

"That, magpie, is a story for another night. It's time for bed."

"Oh no," Baylee complained. "Miss Mara has just arrived. I'm not even tired, Mr Luke. I can't go to bed now. I haven't even tried out the X-wing." Luke gave her a glance, that didn't tolerate any more protests. He thought he was getting better at it.

"We can try it out first thing in the morning."

"Okay," she conceded. "But I want Miss Mara to bring me to bed." With that she reached out for Mara. Baylee thought it was best to use every opportunity in order to get into Mara's good graces. Already, the girl had caught the fact that she was the boss of Luke. Mara took her from Luke and put her back on her feet.

"Alright, off you go to the fresher. Call me, when you are in your pyjamas." Before Baylee run off, she bent down, in order to pick up Mara's present. "I'll put this next to my bed," she stated with a bright smile. When the girl had left the room, Mara turned to her husband. She raised an eyebrow.

"You have the situation under control?" she asked. He only grinned boyishly.

"Totally."

"You are pretty, despite your red hair." Baylee was lying in bed with Mara sitting next to her. The girl had her hands buried in the Jedi's hair and was petting it curiously. Mara disagreed, "I'm pretty because of my hair."

"My mother said red hair was ugly," Baylee stated matter of factly, not quite sure whether she should believe years' worth of her mother's teachings or this strong woman in front of her. Mara, who didn't consider herself an expert on children, wasn't sure how to react to such a statement.

"Seems like your mother talked a lot of rubbish," she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"My mother left me because she wanted a boy," Baylee continued. The Jedi was a bit taken aback by the girl's detached way of talking about her mother. Then again, Mara was glad Baylee didn't cry. Jedi or not, crying children was not a situation she knew how to handle.

Mara snorted. "Boys are totally overrated. They are loud and untidy. Girls are way better; you can trust me on this." All of a sudden, Mara found herself embraced by two skinny arms.

"When I'm big, I want to be like you, Mara."

"Oh!" She was taken aback. No child had ever expressed that particular wish before. Usually, they were so scared of her they didn't dare to approach her.

"Can I fly with you one time?" Baylee yawned widely and let herself flop back on the bed again.

"I'm sure we can arrange something. But now you need to sleep."

"G'night Mara," the girl said already half asleep.

"Good night, Baylee." Mara stroked Baylee's hair affectionately, before leaving the room and switching off the lights. She decided a talk with Luke was in order.

* * *

"Okay farmboy, spill the beans!" Luke was sitting on his bed, opening the clasps of his boots. When he looked up he saw his beautiful wife standing before him, hands on her hips. She was already wearing her night dress, a fact which granted him a spectacular view of her long legs. It didn't make her appear less dangerous, though.

"What beans are there to spill?" he asked cautiously. Of course he was fairly certain he knew exactly what Mara wanted to talk about, but he wasn't sure how she would react to his thoughts on the matter.

"Destroyer of the Death Star, responsible for the fall of the empire, general of the New Republic, leader of the Jedi Order, survivor of many battles, conned by a sly, six year old racoon." The longer she talked, the higher her eyebrow rose. In spite of the seriousness of the situation Luke couldn't help but laugh.

"I wouldn't take Baylee for a con artist."

"Oh, you wouldn't, would you?" she said in that dangerously calm voice of hers. "I recognise a person with a mission when I see one, Skywalker, and that girl clearly follows an agenda. It's quite obvious she wants you to adopt her." With a softer voice she added: "And it's just as obvious you want to adopt her, too." Easing some of the tension out of her body, Mara sat down beside her husband.

"I told her it's impossible" he said. Sighing, he put his head in his hands. Mara didn't miss the fact, that Luke wasn't denying her statement. With her right hand she reached for his hair. Gently, she combed through it.

"Then why is she still living here? Why is she not staying with the other pupils or with Kam and Tionne?" Enjoying the ministrations of his wife with his eyes closed, Luke sighed again.

"I know it's wrong. I shouldn't get her hopes up. I don't know how I got into this mess in the first place. That first night it was too late to place her with someone else and afterwards she didn't want to leave." Mara had a feeling there was more to come, so she kept silent. "And I guess I didn't want her to leave" her husband finally admitted without looking at her. "She has been through so much. Nobody has ever really wanted her. I just wish…" He didn't finish his sentence, but Mara guessed what he wanted to say.

"No respectable social worker will allow us to keep a child, Luke." Entwining her arms around Luke's neck, she rested her head on his shoulder. Luke, after ridding himself of his boots, scooted back until he was able to lean against the headboard. He pulled Mara with him and slung is arms around her, while she got comfortable on his chest.

"But you wouldn't be totally averse to the idea of having a child?" he asked with a tint of hope in his voice. Since Baylee's arrival he hadn't been able to ban his wish for children from his mind anymore. When Mara and Luke had married, they had decided not to have children right away, what with all of their various responsibilities and dangerous lifestyle. Before their wedding they hadn't even lived together, hence it had been a reasonable decision to wait until they had gotten to know each other better. But now, three years later, they were still so caught up in their obligations, that a change wasn't on the horizon.

"I think I haven't been totally averse to the idea for quite a while now. It's just that" she paused and sat up on her knees. With her hands she made a motion that included both of them. "Look at us. We have been married for three damn years and still hardly see each other. I'm sick of it. How could we ever fit a child in our lives?"

"By making room for one?" In a second he was on his knees, too and with both hands he grabbed Mara's head and drew her to him, so he was able to give her a passionate kiss. "I thought so, too. But since I've found Baylee in that storeroom, I've started to think. I don't see why Karrde is still relying on you so much, now that he has Shada. Three years should suffice in order to sort his business out. And I don't see why it always has to be me, who mediates in a crisis. After all these years, there are finally enough masters around to take over at least some of my duties." Gently, Mara grabbed Luke's hand and gave it a squeeze. She looked into his eyes.

"You have given this a lot of thought, haven't you?" she asked calmly.

"Well, while you were gone, I had more than enough nights to ponder such matters. And I totally agree: It totally sucks to be apart. It's beyond all question that Kam and Tionne are the leaders of this academy in all but name. For the first time since the purges, there are more masters than we need in order keep the academy running. For the first time since my adult live there is peace in the galaxy. If there's a good time to be selfish, it's now." Mara smiled at her husband's animated speech. If she was honest with herself, she had to admit that the desire to have a child had become stronger. She laughed at herself. If someone had told her before Nirauan that she would ever want children, she would have ridiculed that person. In the past, her patience for them had been short at best. In her opinion, they were impractical, helpless and messy. Three traits she despised above all others. Now, though, after being practically surrounded by them at the academy and after spending some quality time with the Solo children she was very much inclined to change her mind.

"I don't think the starting of a family qualifies as selfish behaviour. In fact, I can't imagine anything scarier." she said. As a response, Luke's face broke into a smile that could have provided enough energy to sustain the entire academy.

"Are we really talking about what I think we are talking about?" Once again, he enclosed Mara's face with his hands and looked deep into her eyes. Through his gaze, he conveyed all of his hope. Mara gave him a mischievous smirk in response.

"Nothing but chaos ensures when men try to think." She moved forward and, gently, put her lips on Luke's. When she drew back she said, "Let's face it: You are a sucker for redheaded con artists. Baylee has already outmanoeuvred you to her advantage; we can as well look into adoption." Mara hardly got to end her affirmation, because Luke took advantage of their position by kissing her senseless. "I love you," he said before flopping back on the bed, taking a laughing Mara with him. "One plus is definitely that we get around changing diapers," she mused.

"We should leave for Coruscant as soon as possible. Once we are there, I will contact Gavin Darklighter. His wife is a social worker and helped him with the adoption of their sons. We shouldn't tell Baylee, yet. I don't know what legal hassle will await us, and I don't want to make promises I won't be able to keep." Luke's rambling was only interrupted when he felt his wife's nimble fingers opening the trousers, he was still wearing. His eyebrow raised, he threw her an inquiring glance. Mara only grinned dangerously, while continuing the task of undressing her husband.

"Coruscant can wait for a couple of hours. As you have pointed out before, husband mine, we have been separated for several months. Therefore, I now demand the performance of your marital duties."

* * *

Out of the blue a scruffy looking man materialized in front of her. He had brownish hair with an occasional silver streak in it. She couldn't help thinking that he looked a lot like a pirate- albeit like a harmless one. The hand in front of his mouth didn't conceal a hearty yawn and in his right hand he held a mug of steaming caf. It took the man a moment to realise the person he faced was not the one he had expected after establishing the holo-connection. In momentary confusion he scratched his head and wondered whether he had typed the wrong code.

"Ahm, hello?" he started cautiously, while he tried to sort out whether he should know the little girl who was making herself comfortable on Luke's sofa. So it was his friend's flat after all.

"Hello." Raising an eyebrow, she looked expectantly at him. Baylee had once more not been able to refrain from pressing the blinking red button of the comm station when it had signalled an incoming call. She was almost sure Luke wouldn't be amused. From all she had gathered so far, he was an important man. Many people wanted all sorts of things from him and there was hardly a time of the day the comm station was quite. Then again, for the moment Luke was obviously occupied by more important things.

"My name is Han Solo." the man said and even his morning attire wasn't able to conceal his pride. "And you are?"

"Han Solo?" the girl asked incredulously instead of answering the posed question. "Han Solo is the best smuggler in the whole galaxy." All of a sudden Han couldn't help thinking the girl was pretty clever for one of her age. Almost ashamed by so much praise he scratched the stubbles on his face and showed off his infamous smile.

"Yeah, well, I guess I am." he answered modestly.

"And there's no ship out there which is faster than the Millennium Falcon." Baylee continued. Now Han Solo wasn't just thinking anymore the girl was clever- he knew for sure.

"Girl, I don't know your name, but from now on, you are my best buddy." He winked at her.

"Are you really Han Solo?" Baylee had become really excited by now and was hardly able to sit still. "I mean, wow, I didn't know Luke has such cool friends. I mean, he's a Jedi. What do you expect?" she sighed dramatically. She had pronounced the word Jedi in a way that left no doubt as to what she thought about Luke's choice of profession. Han, on the other hand, had to do his best not to burst out laughing.

"Yeah, I tried to convince him of becoming a smuggler a long time ago, but the kid didn't want to. Has always wanted to become a Jedi and save the galaxy. So he needs someone who saves his bud from time to time, eh?"

"Luke a kid?" Baylee couldn't refrain from giggling and thusly giving away her real age. "You're silly."

"Speaking of the kid." Han winked again. "Is Luke in?" He couldn't wait for him to explain the presence of this little rascal in his quarters.

"Yes" the girl said, smiling innocently at him.

"Well, could you call him please?" He gave the girl another one of his flashing smiles.

"No, sorry."

"No?"

"No." Baylee didn't seem to be inclined to change her mind anytime soon.

"May I ask why that is?" he took a mouthful of his caf.

"He is having sex right now." Baylee thought it was funny to watch how the grown man spat the content of his mouth all over his shirt. After recovering from the coughing fit that had followed he had a closer look at the child.

"Thanks girl. That was more information than I ever wanted to have. Do I want to know why you can tell?" Again, Baylee giggled.

"They are making THE noises, if you know what I mean Mr. Solo. And Nadja says: 'Never disturb people when they're making THE noises." Baylee underlined her statement by wagging her index finger.

* * *

"Mister Luke I didn't know you knew Han Solo." Having breakfast, Luke, Mara and Baylee sat around the table. Luke was spreading poptree syrup on his bread when Baylee addressed him.

"Han and I are old friends. Have you heard of him?" he asked, before taking a bite.

"Have I heard of him?" Baylee asked incredulously, breakfast forgotten. "Are you kidding me? Han Solo is the most famous smuggler in the whole galaxy. One day I wanna be just like him. I can't believe I actually talked to Han Solo! Next time I have to ask him how much money he's making in a year."

"Wait a minute," Mara back-paddled. "You talked to Han?"

Baylee smiled as innocently as only the angels of the moons of lego could. It made Mara's danger sense flare.

"Yes, only this morning. But don't worry. I told him you were indisposed."

"Indisposed?" Luke got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. His cheeks started to take on a colour rivalling his wife's famous hair.

"Yes, I learned that word in school," she explained proudly. "It's a nice way to tell people you have better things to do than meeting them." Mara, always practical, thought a talk about the meaning of big words was in order even though she dreaded what exactly Baylee had said to Han.

"Did you tell him we were still asleep?" Luke asked hopefully, while he heard Mara mumble something that sounded suspiciously like "naïve farmboy."

"I told him you were still in bed." Luke breathed a sigh of relief, whereas Baylee bit in her bread, smearing syrup all over her face. With a full mouth she added, "Having sex."

* * *

_In case anyone has read this, I'd be glad hear your opinion. This wasn't proofread, if you came across any major mistakes or weird/uncommon expressions, you can tell me as well. Thank You!_


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